Boning knife

[weo]

Hello all. Here's my freshly finished boning knife made for my sister's boyfriend.
1095/15N20
Blade length: 6.5"
OAL: 11"
Handle material: Big Leaf Maple burl end piece cast with resin thanks to kuraki.

Time to get back to the shop to finish up the rest of my Christmas knives....
Thanks for looking and have a great holiday season.

as always
peace and love
billyO

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Overall, a nice knife.

One problem with using ornate specialty woods for hard use knives, like boners, is the handle isn't made to take lots of abuse, fats and oils, and washing/scrubbing in hot water.

 

[jdm61]

By the time you get to that point, isn't that stuff essentially ornate specialty plastic?

Overall, a nice knife.

One problem with using ornate specialty woods for hard use knives, like boners, is the handle isn't made to take lots of abuse, fats and oils, and washing/scrubbing in hot water.

 

[weo]

Perhaps I should have mentioned that the burl was stabilized by K&G?
Because I've stabilized all of the blocks from my maple tree, I forget that some folks use unstabilized wood

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Stabilizing won't protect it from damage, it just prevents warping due to moisture. Stabilizing does make polishing and buffing really shiny. It will fade or get dull with repeated washing in detergent, as would a boning knife that was used regularly. That is normal, but the plastic inlay will likely deteriorate and dull much faster.

One thing people get wrong about stabilizing is that they feel it completely seals the wood. It does not fill pores, holes, and gaps. A block of stabilized wood that is submerged will get water in it ... it just won't absorb the water. Grease, oil, and dirt can also get in the pores. These can be hard to get out without some scrubbing, which accelerates the dulling of the finish. Many people who do hard use knives will seal the handle well with thin CA or some other penetrating and curing finish (Tru-oil, etc.) before the final sanding to keep this problem to a minimum. On some woods, particularly koa and buckeye-burl, it is almost imperative to seal the grain.

 

[weo]

Thanks for the info, Stacy. I'll let him know to pay attention and that I'll replace the handle if/when it shows any type of excessive wear.

I did notice (and one of the things I was going to comment on at some point when talking about these blocks) that the material was softer then the stabilized wood making it more difficult to get a good shape to the handle, especially around the corby bolts.

A big part of the reason I'm giving my knives at this point is for 'field testing' so to speak.